Don’t let costs get you down. You can still have a blast this summer — and here’s how.
A free island getaway!
Hop on the free weekend ferry (before noon) and then walk — or bike — the massive new park that just opened last weekend on Governors Island while you take in outdoor art, such as Mark Handforth’s “Sidewalk Island,” featuring common city street objects reimagined.
Afterward, relax in one of the park’s 50 hammocks as you gaze out at the water.
“It’s 30 acres in the middle of the harbor, so you get amazing views, hammocks and art,” says Leslie Koch, president of the Trust for Governors Island. “Every New Yorker should feel like they have an open invitation.”
Check out special events throughout the summer, from FIGMENT NYC’s mini golf (June 7 to 8) to the “Come Out & Play Field Day and Family Day” (July 19), which turns the former military outpost into a playground with games and activities.
Free art!
Feast on the city’s creativity with a stroll through the park this summer, where some of New York’s most provocative modern art is on display no charge!
Four new exhibits will draw crowds to the Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City this summer, including “Scarecrow.” The largest installation in the park’s history, it’s a shimmering, 250-foot-long minimalist sculpture that flies over the park. Or check out “Queen Mother of Reality,” a massive mixed-media piece inspired by Dr. Delois Blakely, the community mayor of Harlem and a US goodwill ambassador to Africa.
Elsewhere:
Enjoy the High Line’s new “Archeo” installation, a series of sculptures that consider the role tech plays in our lives.
New York native Rachel Feinstein brings “Folly,” a whimsical sculptural series spread across three lawns, to Madison Square Park.
“The Fence” returns to Brooklyn Bridge Park, with pictures from 40 photographers displayed as part of a 1,000-foot-long-chain fence.
Also, savor free admission to top museums during two nights in June. The Upper East Side’s annual Museum Mile Festival lets visitors meander the car-free streets between nine nearby institutions on June 10, including the Guggenheim and the Jewish Museum.
Lower Manhattan’s June 24 “Night at the Museums” will offer free admission and programming for 13 downtown museums and sites, including the 9/11 Memorial Museum and the Skyscraper Museum.
Free movies!
New York’s parks transform into pop-up al fresco cinemas as soon as the sun sets most nights of the week in the summer. One of the most stunning spots to catch a movie is Hudson River Park, where blockbuster releases for adults and kids are set against the West Side waterfront. The nearly 20-year-old RiverFlicks will run movies for the grown-up set on Wednesdays at Pier 63, and family movies on Fridays at Pier 46 in July and August.
“People come from all over the five boroughs,” says Ian Kaley, director of marketing and events for the Hudson River Park Trust. “They bring food and they’ll watch the sunset. It’s really great because of the location.” riverflicks.com
Elsewhere:
Enjoy half a dozen Gen-X cult favorites at hipster haven McCarren Park on Wednesdays in July and August, including “Heathers” (July 30) and “The Big Lebowski” (Aug. 6).
A workweek’s worth of New Yorkcentric films play in August during the Central Park Film Festival, including “The Royal Tenenbaums” (Aug. 19) and “Ghostbusters” (Aug. 21).
Head to Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park on Sundays for a weekly sing-, dance- and art-a-thon. The area also boasts a huge sandbox, splash area and monster slide, and a pop-up pool is due to open at Pier 2 in late June.
Red Hook Flicks screens local favorites and blockbusters on Tuesdays at Valentino Pier.
Take the kids to South Street Seaport on Wednesdays for movies like “Brave” (June 25) or join for “date night” Saturday showings of movies such as “True Grit” (July 19).
The HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival will play an eclectic mix of 10 flicks at the Midtown park on Mondays this summer, including “Saturday Night Fever” (June 16) and “The Shining” (Aug. 18).
Free fitness!
Need more inspiration to hit the gym during bikini season? The warm weather turns the city’s parks into pop-up gyms where free fitness classes of nearly every variety help motivate even the least exercise minded.
At the June 21 “Solstice in Times Square,” yoga enthusiasts will press their mats together for a day-long event smack in the middle of the neonlit, tourist mecca of Times Square.
“Anyone can find peace of mind at the top of a mountain, but try finding it in Times Square,” says Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance. Advanced registration required. timessquarenyc. org/events/index.aspx
Elsewhere:
Crunch Gym hosts hourlong free classes at South Street Seaport’s front lawn every weekday from June 2 to Aug. 29.
Try out a new hobby before heading to work at Bryant Park with pilates, tai chi, yoga and boot camp classes.
Riverside Park’s Summer on the Hudson programming includes pilates (Tuesday), yoga (Wednesday), Zumba (Saturday) and tai chi (Sunday).
And get kayaking at Brooklyn Bridge Park or at Hudson River Park (check Web sites for schedules).
Free theater!
Summer brings theater to the masses a la Shakespeare’s era. The city’s players put on free shows in public spaces around town that are often more intimate and interesting than conventionally staged plays.
“There really isn’t a boundary between the actors and the audience,” says Jennifer Sandella, co-founder and artistic director of the Random Access Theatre, which will perform “Taming of the Shrew,” set in post-WWII America, over three nights as part of Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Shakespeare at Sunset series. Sandella says outdoor theater brings with it unique challenges. “The audience becomes another character of these plays,” she says. brooklynbridgepark.org
Elsewhere:
To score your free tickets to the legendary Public Theater’s Shakespeare at Central Park’s open-air Delacorte Theater, you’ll have to wait in line the day of performances or try your luck with the online lottery, but it’s well worth it.
Look for the Bard’s “Much Ado About Nothing,” with Hamish Linklater, and “King Lear,” with John Lithgow.
Watch the old and the young take turns reciting the epic 1855 poem “Song of Myself,” a 52-part verse by Walt Whitman, in view of the New York harbor in Brooklyn. Poet Martín Espada will kick off the 11th annual reading on June 8, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Brooklyn Bridge Park at Pier 1’s Granite Prospect (enter the park at Furman and Fulton streets).
Free music!
Pricey, multiday outdoor music festivals always mark the summer season, but in New York you can see plenty of big and up-and-coming names for free, too — leaving you more money for concert beers.
On Saturday, June 21, no tickets are necessary to check out thousands of musicians — professional and amateur — playing from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. across the city in public spaces at more than 1,300 events for the eighth annual Make Music New York Festival. Look for 90 punk bands at Punk Island on Staten Island, dozens of performers at Porch Stomp on Governors Island, a hip-hop Bronx block party dedicated to DJ Kool Herc, and the Bhangra party band Red Baraat with NPR on the steps of Brooklyn’s Central Public Library. “It’s a celebration of the musical diversity of New York,” says Clara Schuhmacher, the festival’s director of operations. makemusicny.org
Elsewhere:
The free shows at this year’s mega Celebrate Brooklyn! series at the Prospect Park Bandshell include R&B superstar Janelle Monáe (June 4), Nickel Creek (July 24) and indie rocker Annie Clark a k a St. Vincent (Aug. 9), among many more.
SummerStage includes 100- plus free shows in 13 parks across the five boroughs, beginning Tuesday. Highlights include Andrew Bird in Central Park (July 8) and the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival in Tompkins Square Park (Aug. 23 to 24).
The South Street Music Festival offers eight free Friday night shows from punk and indie bands along the city’s southern most tip.
See the rising stars of the renowned Met Opera gratis at six roving, mini-recitals, from Central Park to Staten Island, throughout the summer.
Free family fun!
School might be out but don’t let the kids claim boredom this summer. There’s free music, art-making, fishing, stargazing and movies for all ages around the city. The whole family can enjoy summer like a kid at the annual FlyNYC Kite Festival on Aug. 16 in Riverside Park. Bring your own, or craft one from the city-supplied kitemaking kits. With hundreds of kites flying against the backdrop of the Hudson, it always turns into a “really beautiful magical day,” says Zhen Heinemann, director of public programming for Summer on the Hudson in Riverside. “There’s something magical about flying a kite.” nyc.gov/parks/soh
Elsewhere:
The energetic, global-inspired Los Angeles band Ozomatli brings its kid-friendly tunes to Prospect Park on June 14.
Head to Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park on Sundays for a weekly sing-, dance- and art-a-thon. The area also boasts a huge sandbox, splash area, monster slide and a pop-up pool opening in late June.
On June 15, Aug. 2 and Aug. 30, Harlem’s Sweet Spot Festival, combines DJs, food, vintage shopping, crafts and the Hudson breeze for a nonstop outdoor party. Families are encouraged to picnic all day.
Ages 5 and up can try their luck fishing with Big City Fishing in Hudson River Park on Tuesdays this summer. Rods, reels, bait and instruction in “catch and release” are supplied.
Let your budding astronomer peer into a high-powered telescope at the High Line during Stargazing Tuesdays this summer. Experts will be on hand to point out exactly what that glowing orb is that you’re all staring at.